Welcome ladies (and gentlemen if you are here)! Please feel free to introduce yourselves, tell your story and check out our statistics and resource links below.

Every Saturday we will have a weekly group quit. If you are currently smoking and would like to join others in quitting at the same time please add yourself and your info to the current weekly thread. You can then use that thread to support one another in your shared quitting effort.

Every Sunday we will do a quitters roll call. If you have already quit and would like to share your quit statistics please use that thread. Don’t forget, if you are in that weeks Saturday quit group you will be able to post your 24 hour quit stats!

Statistics and Information

From the CDC:

Nicotine is the psychoactive drug in tobacco products that produces dependence. Most smokers are dependent on nicotine and smokeless tobacco use can also lead to nicotine dependence. Nicotine dependence is the most common form of chemical dependence in the United States. Research suggests that nicotine is as addictive as heroin, cocaine or alcohol. Examples of nicotine withdrawal symptoms include irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and increased appetite. Quitting tobacco use is difficult and may require multiple attempts. Users often relapse because of withdrawal symptoms. Tobacco dependence is a chronic condition that often requires repeated intervention.

Cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of premature death in the United States. Each year, more than 400,000 Americans die from cigarette smoking. In fact, one in every five deaths in the United States is smoking related. Every year, smoking kills more than 276,000 men and 142,000 women.

An estimated 20.8% of all adults (45.3 million people) smoke cigarettes in the United States.

Smoking During Pregnancy

Research has shown that smoking during pregnancy causes health problems for both mothers and babies such as

·Pregnancy complications

·Premature birth

·Low-birth-weight infants

·Stillbirth

·Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Women who quit smoking before or early in pregnancy significantly reduce the risk for several adverse outcomes.

·Compared with women who do not smoke-

oWomen who smoke prior to pregnancy are about twice as likely to experience a delay in conception and have approximately 30% higher odds of being infertile.

oWomen who smoke during pregnancy are about twice as likely to experience premature rupture of membranes, placental abruption and placenta previa during pregnancy.

·Babies born to women who smoke during pregnancy-

oHave about 30% higher odds of being born prematurely.

oAre more likely to be born with low birth weight (less than 2500 grams or 5.5 pounds), increasing the risk for illness or death.

oWeigh an average of 200 grams less than infants born to women who do not smoke.

oAre 1.4 to 3.0 times more likely to die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

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